Frankie Edgar Anticipates Future Date With Jose Aldo, Regardless Of Weightclass

[No More Sorrow]

ATLANTA – Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) is getting his wish: a rematch with current titleholder Benson Henderson (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC).

Despite an urging from UFC president Dana White to drop to 145 pounds and face current featherweight champ Jose Aldo (21-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Edgar will instead face Henderson sometime later this year.


But that doesn't mean Edgar is ruling out a potential fight with Aldo. In fact, he believes a future meeting with the Brazilian is a near certainty, though he's not sure if it will be 145 or 155 pounds.


"I'm all about fighting big fights and fighting the best guys," Edgar said. "Jose Aldo is one of them. We'll see that fight whether it's at 145 or 155."


Edgar, of course, earned the UFC lightweight title in an April 2010 win over B.J. Penn, who was granted an immediate rematch. After that win, Edgar fought to a draw with Gray Maynard, who was also awarded an instant rematch, which Edgar won.


In February, Edgar lost a unanimous decision to Henderson in a closely-contested matchup. However, as Edgar sat with a badly beaten face at the evening's post-event press conference, White announced former WEC champ Sergio Pettis would get the next title shot.


Edgar immediately protested, as did his legions of fans. Following a little more than a week of upheaval, White finally relented and awarded Edgar a rematch.


So how, exactly, did Edgar get the answer he was seeking?


"I begged and pleaded," Edgar joked during a press conference to announce his new partnership with cell-phone provider MetroPCS. "Nah, I just told them that I think I've done enough in my career.


"I've given two immediate rematches. The fight was really close. It was controversial. Dana told me he thought I did enough to win it. Two plus two equals four. I've done enough to get this rematch."


Edgar, whose left eye was completely closed following the loss to Henderson, said he isn't suffering any lingering issues from the fight and hopes to return sometime in August or September.


"My eye was just swollen," Edgar said. "My nose was broken, but my nose breaks every fight. It's just about putting it back together and getting back to it."


UFC officials have yet to announce precisely when Henderson vs. Edgar II will take place. Edgar's future at lightweight would seem to hang in the balance, with a win proving he still belongs at 155 pounds and a loss giving White more ammunition to force the former champ's move down to featherweight.


It wouldn't necessarily be a bad move for "The Answer," who would look to join Randy Couture and B.J. Penn as the only UFC fighters to earn title belts in multiple weightclasses (Vitor Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champ, also earned a heavyweight tournament title). But Edgar isn't exactly interested in history right now.


"I'm set on trying to get this belt back," Edgar said.


But that doesn't mean he won't eventually make his way to 145 pounds, and it definitely doesn't mean he won't ever fight Aldo. For Edgar, that fight is definitely on the horizon, it's just a matter of determining which division.


"We'll see what the future holds," Edgar told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com). "I think it's inevitable that I'll eventually get down there. I just don't know when."

The fight will be good, think it could potentially happen towards the end of the year. After Bendo beats Edgar again i think he'll finally make the right choice to drop to Featherweight.

 

[Slim]

it'll be nice. Then Aldo can take him out too and then we'll wonder what is Aldo gonna do next.

 

[No More Sorrow]

I think the two will basically switch weight classes, and Pettis will drop to 145 as well. Give both divisions fresh new fights.

 

[Slim]

Pettis has to fight Henderson first in the big rematch. But yeah I can see Aldo moving up. He needs challengers.

 

[The Cork]

Edgar KO R1.

Aldo is a myth, any of the top 20 155lbs would beat him.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Pettis has to fight Henderson first in the big rematch. But yeah I can see Aldo moving up. He needs challengers.

Only problem is, there's a huge line of people in front of Pettis who've earned a shot for the title at 155 i think if he really wanted a title shot then his best chances of getting it would be at 145.

 

[Slim]

But... Pettis was originally slated to have the championship match before Dana got the rematch hard on. Plus Pettis was the last guy to beat Henderson. Pettis should be in front of those guys based on those merits alone.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Well yeah, i get that but i just don't think that's the route the UFC is going down now. Before They announced Frankie was going to get a rematch with Bendo this Summer i thought differently.

 

[Slim]

Bendo just needs to dominate Edgar to end all these rematches... then after that... Pettis needs to dominate his next opponent. Then he should finally get his shot. I'd pit him over the others. Plus you can always show that ShowTime kick over and over to hype it.

 

[No More Sorrow]

I hate the showtime Kick! : still pains me to see this but it would make for one hell of a highlight package.

I'd like to see the Bendo/Pettis rematch so that Ben could redeem himself from that loss, and it'd mean more if he did it while defending the championship.

 

[Troy]

Dana White's wish will come true soon enough then. Edgar dropping down was always bound to happen and hopefully when he loses to Benson convincingly again he will release that he should drop a division.